Happy Birthday Jared...

The big 29! In the 4.5 years we've been married, I've never really done anything special for Jared's birthday - no surprises, sometimes not even a cake, and most of the time no present because he's already bought his own birthday present before I have a chance. So, I decided I'd try a little harder this year.

On his birthday eve we and our friends Jared and Andrea went goofy golfing and out for ice cream at Marble Slab. I got 5 hole-in-ones! One time Jared and I both got hole-in-ones! Woo hoo!

His family came up from Tucson for the day and brought him green corn tamales for lunch - a FAVORITE of his. Then for dinner I made him a super tasty meal - basically the pulled pork salad you can order at Costa Vita or Cafe Rio. The recipe makes enough to feed an army so we had quite the birthday gathering that night feeding 22 people. There are still leftovers to feed that many again. After dinner we enjoyed not one, but TWO oreo ice cream cakes (one was Mint Choc. Chip and the other was Cookies and Cream).

Jared was under the impression that there were again no gifts this birthday because he just purchased a bunch of stuff for his truck and also his up-coming hunting trip. I gave him a meager card that said at the bottom he would find a present hiding in the 2nd bedroom. His eyes lit up as he went to find it. He unwrapped a complete horseshoe set - a favorite game of his and great for camping.

His night was topped off with a round of scorpion hunting - only found one tiny scorpion hiding deap in a crack in the wall. He met his demise by way of the blow torch of course.

Thanks to all who came and helped us celebrate Jared's birthday - I think it felt like more of a special day this year. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JARED!

New Couches

Our new leather couches were delivered last night finally after 8 weeks of waiting. It was kind of a scary purchase since it was done online without having the opportunity to sit on them. But we loved the style and the 2x3" leather swatch and you couldn't beat the price for a 4-piece set. The sofa, loveseat, chair and ottoman look great! There was some damage sustained in shipping on the chair and we're in the process of seeing what can be done. I'm looking forward to when the leather is worn in and it gets progressively more cozy!

Jared's Army...

So Jared has really been uneasy about our scorpion epidemic. He bought some scorpion spray that "kills on contact," borrowed a black light, and went scorpion hunting every other night. The only thing was that the spray didn't kill the scorpions... it only paralyzed them for 10 seconds and then they'd be on their way again. Jared was not a fan! So he decided to purchase a blow torch to do the job. Let's just say that was more successful than the spray! None of the exterminating companies can really guarantee that they'll kill the scorpions off because no spray does - they just try to get rid of all the pests that they feed off of. Again, Jared wasn't impressed. So he took it upon himself to do some research. Geckos LOVE to eat scorpions supposedly and any other pests (cockroaches, spiders, etc). So, he went and purchased an army of geckos, 50 to be exact, and set them loose around the perimeter of the house - especially where he'd seen the scorpions when he went hunting. Happy feasting Geckos!

Do you feel loved?

I found this quiz through another's blog and thought I would take it. I remember taking a similar quiz at EA in the Marriage and Family Institute class before I was married. Back then my two main love languages were quality time and touch. Here are the results after 4 years of marriage. Strange how things change...

The Five Love Languages

My primary love languages are probably
Quality Time and Words of
Affirmation.

Complete set of results

Quality Time:		9
Words of Affirmation:		9
Acts of Service:		5
Physical Touch:		5
Receiving Gifts:		2

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

4 weeks and counting...

It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone with this pregnancy - at least up until this point. I've officially reached the "I'm so uncomfortable, can I really make it until the end" stage. I didn't reach this point with Garrett until 2 weeks til delivery. My entire pelvic region is so sore! At night it's the worst - trying to get sleep is near impossible sometimes. They tell you to sleep on your side, but that just makes my pains worse. I've tried sleeping with a pillow between my legs, but it doesn't help and it actually wakes me up more. The only position that I can find some minimal comfort is laying on my stomach (which is amazing for being 8+ months preg... it's all because of our fabulous bed) - but I feel like I'm squishing the baby if I try to sleep like that. So, I'm starting the countdown. Now my days remaining are in the 20's - that is if this little one comes on his due date. 29 more days!

I went to Banner Gateway to get a tour of the maternity ward... all I can say is it's AMAZING! Since it's so new, there's no nausiating "hospital smell." It actually smells quite refreshing in there! The rooms are nice and spacious and there's a sleeper couch in the post-partum rooms! All of the nurses were super friendly and excited to see us too. That makes a huge difference. Anyway, I'm getting more and more excited. It's so crazy to me that I went through this just a year ago - I can remember most details so well. So last night I dreamt of labor experiences and the overwhelming joy that floods into your heart when they lay your precious newborn baby on your chest for the first time. That's my favorite part. I can hardly wait! That's when you remember that it's so worth it and it's a shame we ever complain about the aches of being pregnant. I should be more grateful. I'm so excited to have another little baby. I can't wait to see what he looks like and what his personality will be. Looking back, so much of Garrett's personality showed through when he was brand new. He was so awake and alert and inquisitive of the world around him.

Garrett's growing up...

Okay, so Garrett is growing up so fast. He's already 11 months old and I'm just 5 weeks away from my due date. I think it's starting to really set in that my one-on-one time with Garrett is slipping away. In ways it actually makes me kind of sad. Have I made the most of our time together? Have I read him enough stories? Cuddled enough? Sang enough songs? Played enough? I know I'll still get to do these things, but my time and energies will be split. Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited for our next little boy, but it makes me wonder if I'll miss these days and regret not having done more.

Garrett is learning to walk. He started showing signs of interest a few weeks ago, but he is doing it more and more. I'd have to say that his primary mode of transportation is still crawling, but his walking episodes are lasting upwards of 15 feet sometimes. Go Garrett!

This picture is from mid August so he's only 9 months here, but I had to share. He's just too cute and I love this new Sunday outfit (although it's already getting a little snug because it's only 12 months).

New Look

So I've been wanting to learn how to customize my blog... but knowing that it required editing the html code, I hadn't the slightest idea how to do it. So, my friend Kim sent me a blog that has code that you can copy (http://matiekay.blogspot.com). I copied a template that I liked and then downloaded some free papers from a great site www.shabbyprincess.com and copied and pasted what I wanted. I'll probably keep playing around with things, but what do you think of this layout?

I HATE SCORPIONS!

Okay, so I was hoping it was a fluke, but on Saturday I found a scorpion in Garrett's room. I had washed his crib sheet and was trying desperately to put it back on without taking off the bumper. I was barefooted (no surprise to anyone who knows me) and happened to look down at the right time. There it was a golden colored, creepy 2 inch scorpion only one or two feet away. I quickly left the room to get close-toed shoes and a heavy glass bowl so I could capture it. There was no way I was going to try killing this thing. (Jared was on a fishing trip but returned that night. He was not happy with his welcoming guest). Ugh - it still makes me shudder. Since then I am super paranoid, my eyes constantly raking the ground for any intruders. It's crazy how the presence of one little nasty creature completely ruins your sense of safety and well-being. Anyway, I was hoping it was over, but not 5 minutes ago I found another one... and I was barefoot again. This little guy was only 3/4 of an inch long. Aren't little ones more dangerous? This one was on the wood flooring in the addition of the house - and I killed it. Now I'm wearing close-toed shoes. I'm just terrified that Garrett will be the one to find a scorpion since he truly does scour the floor for bite-sized anythings. Aahhh! I'm calling exterminators right now!

Crafts

I've been wanting to have a nice floral arrangement to go in our bedroom on our dresser. I thought it would be fun to make one, but was afraid it would turn out hideously since I haven't the slightest clue as to how to do it. I kept my eyes open for ideas and any steals (since buying one would be considerably easier). But I was completely unaware as to how expensive arrangements could be. If I liked an arrangement it was usually at least $150. Yikes! So I bought some flowers at JoAnns and Michaels when they were 50% off. Then at my favorite home decor store I found the best tin flower planter box for only $5! So, I took a leap of faith and tried to make an arrangement all by myself. It was SO MUCH FUN! I'm pretty sure I've found my #1 hobby -- doing crafty things makes me happy! Here are the results. I'm pretty pleased considering it was my first attempt. I think this just might be too cute to keep in the bedroom... maybe it'll stay on the kitchen table. Total cost = $35. Not too shabby!

Surviving without a husband

Jared has been out of town it seems constantly lately. He was gone for 6 days on a business trip back east and returned late on a Friday night. He then left again the following Monday for an overnight fishing trip with his Dad. And then he went on yet another overnight fishing trip on Fri/Sat. I'm glad that Jared has hobbies and interests that he enjoys and I'm glad that he has friends and family that share those interests. But, six days is a long time for me to potentially go insane... so I took the opportunity to go and visit my parents in Thatcher. It had been 4-5 months since I'd been there. It was nice to spend time with them and be out in the "country" where it's not so hot. We finished a jean quilt I'd been working on - thanks Mom and Dad for your help. And we went and fed the ducks some 3 month old stale popcorn. Yum! We tried to get Garrett to feed the ducks, but he was more interested in feeding himself even if it was stale.